Salvation

We have just read John Calvin’s words, “the death of Christ is efficacious … for the mortification of the flesh.” What, in practical terms, might this look like in everyday life? Maybe the primary question is, how does the death …Read More

Throughout history we have wrestled with questions about salvation. In our quest to know the truth about salvation, we have searched everywhere possible. In our search, we have constructed entire philosophies in order to find the answers we want. Religions …Read More

A persistent tradition claims that upon being mocked by a skeptic with regard to his doctrine of creation, Saint Augustine was cynically asked, “What was God doing before He created the world? Augustine’s alleged reply was: “Creating hell for …Read More

“Tradition!” sings Tevye. “Without our traditions, our lives would be as unstable as a fiddler on the roof.” As the drama unfolds, this analogy turns from affirmation to lament: Tevye’s daughters marry suitors disapproved by tradition, and in the …Read More

“Faith cannot be without a settled peace of mind, from which proceeds the bold confidence of rejoicing,” John Calvin writes in his commentary on Hebrews during the mid-sixteenth century. This point is most striking, and mostly underplayed by many exegetes …Read More

“Time past and time present are both together in time future,” wrote T.S. Elliot. His rhythmic words simply and eloquently describe the ordinary flow of history. But the letter to the Hebrews presents a very different perspective on God …Read More

The heart of Hebrews chapter 2 is conveyed to us by an unsophisticated, and yet very profound old Gospel hymn: “No angel could his place have taken; High of all the High though he; The Loved One on the cross …Read More

My family has been blessed mightily in the last six months or so. My dear wife Denise and I have suffered through two miscarriages. (And three more in the years before that.) Our daughter Shannon, who is mentally retarded, began …Read More

Over the past few years I have grown increasingly concerned about the state of evangelicalism. There has been a rapid decline of doctrinal integrity, and evangelical churches throughout the country have lost their theological bearings, especially regarding the doctrine of …Read More

I once had a girlfriend who was a classic liberal. Don’t misunderstand. She wasn’t a classical liberal, that is, one with a profound desire for liberty, one who was skeptical about the role of the state. No, strangely …Read More

About three years ago, one of my friends admitted to me that he believed that true Christians could lose their salvation. I remember going home that evening quite dismayed that someone with whom I served in ministry actually believed that …Read More

In 2003, the International Dairy Foods Association celebrated its tenth anniversary of the “Got Milk?” advertising campaign. During the past ten years, just about everyone from Michael Jordan to the Cookie Monster has been featured wearing a milk mustache. Besides …Read More

In the sixteenth century, Christendom underwent one of the most extensive and serious schisms in its history. The chief article that caused the controversy to end in division was the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The Protestant Reformation was …Read More

During our election cycles in the U.S., we see a lot of headlines and hear a lot of talk about the past of candidates for public office. We wrestle with and quarrel about the question, Do their pasts matter …Read More

It is my contention that we spend far too little time thinking through issues of teleology, the study of end or purpose or design. We prefer to leave these questions unexamined, and thus move through our lives less than deliberately …Read More